The Fall
by AndyHood
Summary: Holmes knew as soon as he pushed Moriarty and himself off the balcony that he would never survive the fall. What he didn't expect was to see a red blur coming straight at him. Oneshot


Holmes knew he was going to die as he and Moriarty fell from the balcony. He closed his eyes, at peace with dying in order to save John and Mary, he was glad that he had stopped a world war, even if it was for a few more years. He only wished that John hadn't seen when he threw himself off of the balcony. In those few moments when their eyes met, they had managed to say good-bye. He couldn't help but wonder if these were the same thoughts that ran through John head as Blackwood's bombs got ready to explode.

Moriarty was screaming, clutching Sherlock hard. Sherlock didn't want to die in the tight embrace of his enemy. With a few well laid hits, Moriarty was falling away from Holmes. Sherlock gazed as the vast beauty that surrounded him, the cold wind making him feel so alive. Single drops of water were falling all around him, as if they were trying to escape the main flow of the falls. It seemed that in those few moments time had stopped. He saw every detail, his gift and his curse. The icy rocks that jutted out from the falls, the snow covered trees, the tiny rainbows in every raindrop, and the reddish/goldish blur racing towards him.

_Wait_ he thought, _a reddish/goldish blur_?

As it drew closer, Sherlock saw that it looked like a man with glowing blue eyes. The closer Sherlock came to the bottom of the falls, the faster the thing flew at him. Just as he felt the tips of his fingers graze the water, the thing grabbed him and pulled him upward into the sky.

"Gotcha" came a voice from the thing. Sounding metallic, Sherlock could only clutch at the thing as they flew through the air, leaving the falls far away. He struggled to understand what was happening, he was flying through the air in what appeared to a metal suit that maintained flight in what looked like fire coming from the hands and feet of man. Holmes clung to the man like a baby monkey, his legs wrapped around his waist and his arms around his chest, his eyes level with the triangle patch of blue light. As they flew Holmes studied the thing he was clutching at. The metal was unlike any that he had seen; smooth and flawless and giving off a warm heat. Holmes stared at the light in front of him, Holmes deducted that it was the things power source.

He jumped slightly when he heard the man starting to speak again. "Better hold on Sherlock, were coming in for a landing" cried out the metal man, laughing as Sherlock yelped with fright as they plummeted to the ground. The metal man landed smoothly on the snow and the instant they had stopped Holmes detached himself from the man and backed away holding his arm close to his chest to help relieve some of the pain in his shoulder.

The metal man turned his head to him, "That was almost one nasty fall you had their Sherlock. Luckily I caught you or you probably would have been smashed on the rocks."

Holmes could only look speechlessly at the man, he heard the thing chuckle. Holmes watched as the thing reached up and took off the helmet, and a face appeared. Sherlock took a step back as he stared into the face of himself. His doppelgänger laughed as he looked at Holmes face.

"You might want to close your mouth Sherlock, or it might freeze that way."

"Who are you, what are you?!" demanded Holmes finding his voice, he resisted the instinct to back away further.

"Well this might be hard to believe but I'm your great-grandson, Tony Stark" his twin said smirking at him.

"Impossible," murmured Sherlock studying the face in front of him, "I must have drunk some formaldehyde again, or I'm dead."

Tony rolled his eyes, "You better not be dead, I was sent back to save you so that I can live, and you just fell over a 100 foot waterfall after playing a game of chess while on a mission to save the world from war. I don't think you were drinking." Tony paused and laughed, "Though I should thank-you, because of all that formaldehyde and all the other chemicals you drank my liver is immune to alcohol. That is one of the best things I inherited from you, besides your social skills when it comes to strangers" said Tony sarcastically. "And like you I need a babysitter, my other half a Ms. Virginia Potts-Stark the great-granddaughter of a Mr. John Watson. Funny how things come round full circle."

Holmes shook his head trying to clear it, this was impossible. "I must be delirious, the shock of the cold water is making my mind make up such a whimsical tale" murmured Holmes. Tony sighed and took a few steps forward and slapped Sherlock across the face, minding his gauntlets.

"Does that seem real?" asked Tony, as Sherlock clutched at his face in shock.

"Yes, indeed so I am not delirious" Holmes muttered he then eyed his so called great-grandson. "If your story is to be believed, then how is it that you are here? How can you exist now when the future hasn't happened?"

Tony smiled, "Time isn't a straight line like most people think, time overlaps itself. Past, present, and future are all happening at once. In order for me to exist in the future I had to save you now."

Holmes nodded he had suspected this but never had a way to prove it. He then turned his attention to what his future descendent was wearing. "Do all men in the future wear such suits?"

Tony smiled and pushed a button and Holmes watched fascinated as the suit began folding in on itself until it was the size of a small suit-case. But Holmes observed that the blue light appeared to be under his grandsons shirt. A strange outfit that it was, his pants a dark blue, the shirt black with the initials ACDC.

"No I'm the only one with such a device, it will take the rest of the world years before they come even close to making one."

Sherlock couldn't help but feel pride that his descendent was the only one to have such an amazing suit. But he was even more surprised that he had a great-grandson, Holmes knew that he wasn't the fathering type, he knew that Watson would be a wonderful Father, but he could barely take care of himself. His mind was buzzing with so many questions, who was his wife, the only woman he could admit to himself to have loved was Irene but she was dead just like Moriarty was. As he bowed his head in grief of remembering Irene he felt deep satisfaction knowing he had avenged her death. Looking at his decedent he could see the understanding in his eyes as if he knew what Holmes was thinking about.

Holmes focused on Stark, his mind awhirl trying to deduct him, but he was a puzzle to different to get a real read on him. His very presence was threatening to overwhelm his mind with questions, what was the future like, would the world war happen? He opened his mouth to ask these questions when Tony raised a hand.

"I know you have many questions Sherlock, but it is never a good thing when a person has too much information about the future, especially their future and I personally like living too much to risk it" Tony said with a smirk.

Holmes nodded, it was probably for the best if he didn't know anything though he longed for answers. Tony seemed satisfied and knelt down next to his case.

"How am I to explain how I miraculously survived while Moriarty didn't" queried Holmes watching with fasciation as the suit transformed out of the case and began to cover Stark.

Tony smirked at his Great-Grandfather and from a pocket in his suit he pulled out a familiar device and threw it to Homes who quickly caught it. He instantly recognized his brother's personal supply of oxygen.

"How?"

"That would be telling" teased Tony as he held the helmet under his arm and held out a hand to shake. "I'll let you think of your own excuses, but it's been fun meeting you Sherlock Holmes, try not to throw yourself off anymore balconies" he said with a smile.

Holmes chuckled and took the hand, "I assure you that I will not try to repeat this experiment. I am glad that there was someone to catch me Tony Stark."

For a moment time seemed to pause as past and future looked at each other with appreciation, two men who were willing to give up their lives and take the fall to save the world from itself. A beep from Tony's suit had them breaking apart and Tony realized with a twinge of sadness that it was time for him to leave.

"Well Grandpa, time for me to leave, try not to give John a heart attack next time you see him" joked Tony as he put the helmet on his head.

"Good-bye Grandson" answered Holmes smiling as he watched the energy once again come from the hands and feet of the suit and with a salute the armor blasted off leaving Holmes all alone in the clearing with the oxygen tank. If he didn't see the melted snow as proof he could almost believe he imagined the whole thing.

With a laugh he spun around the clearing high on the feeling of being alive, not caring for a moment that he probably looked like a lunatic. Suddenly the future that looked so bleak when Watson married Mary had gotten better. The world was suddenly so full of possibilities once again.

Flipping the tank in his hand he began to hike back to civilization, it would take him a few months for him to get back to England by himself. But until he was certain no one would be coming for the Watson's he would stay away.

Holmes chuckled at the thought that even two generations in the future, a Holmes still needed to be taken care of by Watson, it would seem that though the future was a different world some things stayed constant.

* * *

><p>"How did it go?" asked Pepper settling next to Tony on the couch.<p>

"I got him" answered Tony taking a sip of scotch as he let Pepper snuggle next to him, before gently rubbing her stomach where his son took offence of someone touching his home.

"Did he truly look like you?" asked Pepper curiously as reached over an entwined their fingers together.

Tony nodded, "Freakishly so, I felt like I was looking at myself in the mirror except I had better hair" he said with a smile.

"What do you think would have happened if we hadn't found that letter?" asked Pepper looking at the letter that sat on the table written by Sherlock Holmes himself detailing to John Watson how exactly he had survived the Fall.

Tony didn't know, time was so timey wimey he didn't even what to know what would have happened if he hadn't been there to catch Sherlock. He hugged Pepper close to him, "Best not think of what would have happened Pep, I'm here and so are you and in a few months so will our son."

As Tony and Pepper snuggled into the couch sometime in the past Sherlock Holmes looked down in wonder at the perfect human that had been placed in his hands by Dr. Watson. "What are you going to name him Sherlock?"

"Isaac Renee Edward Holmes" said Holmes smiling softly as he gently walked into the bedroom where Mary was attending Simza. His lovely wife smiled up at him as he settled down next to her he felt his heart full of love. Looking at the night sky outside the window Sherlock gave silent thanks for Tony once more for saving him and leading him to where he was today surrounded by people he loved. Looking up at his best friend Sherlock decided one day he would tell him the whole story of the Fall, but with a smirk he made a note to not be in the same room when John found out that his great-grandson married his great-granddaughter.

* * *

><p>I hoped you liked this little one-shot, it's been bugging me for a while.<p> 


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